This Weeks CSA 8-19-2017

Rachel approves of the 78 degree weather this last week. Not much beats wearing a sweater in mid August.

Joe flies the coop and takes a dirt bath

Tocayo jumps the kitchen garden fence and takes a carrot nap.

The girls get their first taste of Amaranth

Here is what “WE” will be tasting this week!

#1 Limes

#2 Super Sweet Oranges

#3 Carrots are back this week

#4 Tomatoes

#5 Handful of Eggs

​#6 Cucumbers

#7 Bell peppers, jalapenos and cayenne peppers

#8 Oranges

#9 Summer Squash

#10 Kale or chard greens

#11 Bag of cherry tomatoes

#12 Large Potato

#13 Bag of Calendula seeds

Raitha is an Indian yogurt dish “condiment” that always has cucumber, some kind of fresh herbs and some spices. Lately, we eat it with almost everything here at the farm. We have evolved this dish our taste over the last few months. With all of the seasons bounty of vegetables and herbs, modifying and diversifying has been easy to do. Summer is a nice time for raitha because it is so wonderfully cooling. I was glad to find a comprehensive article on the basics as well as an intro to some different versions of this wonderful yogurt dish that loves to have anything to do with vegetables, rice, meat or bread.

One of our basic recipes uses plain 6 cups yogurt.

1 medium cucumber.

1 lime

1 small carrot

Few pinches of salt

1 Calendula flower

15 to 20 Mustard or coriander seeds

Cayenne pepper fresh chopped fine

Small turnip grated

Fresh dill, basil, chervil or even mint!

Grate 1/2 of the cucumber and sweat it in a bowl by adding a pinch or two of salt to the grated cucumber and then stirring it a few times over a few minutes.
Squeeze the slightly salty juice out of the cucumber into the 6 cups yogurt. Chop the other 1/2 of cucumber “or just grate” and add to the yogurt as well.
Crush some coriander or mustard seeds into the developing raitha.

Add the chopped cayenne pepper

Squeeze in 1/2 a lime

Pull off the Calendula petals and drop them in the raitha. “I love the splash of golden sunshine that calendula gives to rice, soups, salads, dips, pickled dishes and more.

Chop your fresh herb finely and then stir everything in. If everything goes to plan, you will be talking about how and when you are going to make your next raitha before you are even done with your first batch!!